


Emotional road block ahead

by Quacks



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, BAMF Peter Parker, Editing? What's that? - Freeform, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Not Steve Rogers Friendly, Panic Attacks, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Peter Parker, Rated T for language, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:54:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24257734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quacks/pseuds/Quacks
Summary: Tony Stark doesn't talk about his trauma. It's a part of him that makes him weak, and the less people know about his vulnerabilities, the less chances of someone using it against him. He lives by this - using sarcasm and indifference as a barrier between himself and other people. Even the people he's close to are kept at arms length.That is, until he has a panic attack in front Peter Parker.***Or, we always read about Tony comforting Peter. Well, here we have Peter comforting Tony.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 17
Kudos: 284





	Emotional road block ahead

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silently_judging_you](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silently_judging_you/gifts).



> Gonna be real, I had trouble with this one. I really didn't know where this was going to end up until I wrote it....Actually, that's not much different from how I write all my other stories, but you know...whatever. 
> 
> Anyway, Thanks to silently_judging_you for the prompt request. I hope I sort of covered what you were looking for? I apologize if I didn't.
> 
> Please leave a comment or kudos! They make me happy :)
> 
> Enjoy!! <3

The media has built a persona for who Tony Stark is supposed to be. Some of it is justified, most of it is not. Tony’s “rebellious” years are at the forefront of their depiction, and no matter what he does, his time as a playboy has shaped people’s view of the man. It’s never bothered him before. Tony learned from a young age that the media is full of bullshit, only advertising what makes them money. 

All that matters to Tony, are the few people he has allowed to see the real, personal side of him. Even then, he still uses sarcasm and indifference as a barrier. The less people know what makes him vulnerable, the smaller the chances of people using it against him.

Steve Rogers, for example. 

The “American Hero” became one of Tony’s closest friends. The entire Avengers team was a family to him, but Steve had Tony’s back more than any of the rest of them. He was there for Tony after the Mandarin incident, he was a confidant during Tony and Pepper’s hiatus, and he helped Tony learn how to cope with his trauma from the Chitauri attack.

What the media dubbed the “Civil War”, Tony called it a lesson in betrayal. It was bad enough Steve sided with an Ex-HYDRA assassin to fight against the accords (and Tony), but to hide the truth about his parent’s deaths? That was Tony’s breaking point. Because Steve knew how torn up Tony still was over losing his parents. He knew, and he still forced a shield into Tony’s suit’s chest when the billionaire got rightfully mad. All to protect Bucky Barnes - a friend. 

Wasn’t Tony Steve’s friend too? Whatever. That’s some emotional baggage for another time. He’s got bigger fish to fry. Tony - too distracted by the hurt from his family being torn apart to think properly - stupidly armed a 14 year old kid with a multi-million dollar suit, flew the teenager to Germany to fight against The Earth’s Mightiest Ex-Heroes behind the kids unusually attractive aunt’s back, and then let the child keep the suit so he could swing around New York stopping crime. 

It was a stupid idea. He knows. So if people could stop telling him all about the idiocy in that choice, he'd appreciate it. 

With the sting of betrayal still fresh, Tony pushed the responsibility of the spider baby onto Happy, trusting the man to keep tabs on the kid. He refuses to let anyone else get close to him. Even if that someone else is a teenager. He has Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey. There’s no need to risk being burned again. 

Except, then Peter takes down a weapons dealer - lifting an entire fucking building off of himself, and crashing with a burning plane full of Stark tech onto Coney Island in the process. Tony can’t really ignore that anymore. He had already taken the suit away after the Ferry accident, but the kid is just as stupid as him, and if anything happens, he feels like it’s his fault. So Tony takes Peter under his wing, showing him the ropes of being a superhero, and letting the kid work in his lab. Kind of like a mentor. But Tony is still keeping the boy at arm’s length.

It’s not easy though. Peter is kind, and sincere, and genuine in a way Tony has rarely seen before. The kid gives Tony the brightest smiles for no reason, he doesn’t care about Tony’s past or what the media says, he openly expresses his excitement to be around Tony. There’s no malicious reasoning behind the kid’s desire to be around Tony. Peter doesn’t have an alternate agenda in being kind. He fully accepts Tony for who he is, despite the fact that Tony has many flaws. 

And, Tony likes having Peter around too. The kid is funny, wicked smart, and quick witted. Peter doesn’t shy away from joining in on their friendly banter or sarcastic remarks. It’s easy, relaxed, enjoyable. 

The wall Tony used to keep his distance from Peter was slowly falling, and he didn’t even know it. When Pepper told Tony about the business conference in Atlanta that he was being forced to attend, his first thought was that he’d miss hanging out with Peter. That’s when he knew the kid had magically wormed his way into Tony’s heart. It was only a week long conference, for fucks sake. 

Pepper and Happy thought it was hilarious when Tony told them about it. Rhodey *literally* facepalmed saying, “You are just  _ now _ realizing that Peter is like a son to you?” Excuse him, but Tony was busy failing at keeping an emotional distance to realize how much he actually cared about Peter. 

Since the conference was in February, the only logical explanation was to take Peter out of school for two weeks so they could make a road trip out of it. Sure, they could technically make the trip in one day, but where’s the fun in that? Instead, they can draw out their travel time, making fun pit stops along the way, and have time to explore Atlanta outside of the conference. 

Convincing May Parker to let Tony Stark take her nephew out of the state for two weeks during the school year was...interesting. Because the last time she let Peter go for a “conference” with Tony, it was to fight the ex-Avengers. His track record, while short, was not good. It took lots of promises, pleading, begging, and even an attempt at bribing before May finally agreed to let Peter go. The fact that the woman only agreed after Pepper stepped in - assuring her that there really is a conference, and that she will stop Tony from doing anything stupid with Peter - is neither here nor there.

The day of their trip couldn’t have come soon enough. The anticipation and excitement made it impossible for both Tony and Peter to focus on anything but their plans. Tony doesn’t remember the last time he felt this giddy about attending a conference. Then again, it isn’t the actual conference he’s looking forward to. 

“Okay, so we’ve got snacks, the car is filled with gas, we loaded up both suitcases, and we’ve said goodbye to Pepper and May. Is there anything else we need to do before we go?” Tony asked Peter once the kid got in the front seat. The long awaited trip is finally here, and Tony isn’t going to let anything mess it up. 

“No, I think we are good to go.” Peter buckled his seat belt, getting comfy for the drive. He was kind of surprised that May agreed to this. Not because he’s missing two weeks of school - Stark Industries sent them a letter stating Tony needs his intern, so they can’t count it against him - but because May isn’t the biggest fan of Tony. She blames Tony for Peter putting his life on the line every night. Peter just hopes this will be the start of his aunt and mentor becoming friends. 

Going through his mental checklist one more time, Tony deems them ready. Besides, if they do forget anything, they can just run to the store. “Let’s do this then!” Tony shifts the car into drive, and just like that, they’re on their way. 

Just the first day driving had the two of them dreading the end of the trip. Spreading the drive out over two days gave them lots of time to stop at all the main tourist attractions, and even a few less known hole-in-the-wall places. Even with all the snacks, Tony didn’t let them go more than two hours without stopping to get Peter some real food. Is it a bit much? Yes. Has Peter told him this every time they stop? Yes. Is Tony going to risk starving the kid? No - therefore, lots and lots of food.

They had decided to make the first day the longer of the two days, driving 8 of the 13 hours. With all of the stops they made, it still took all day to get to their hotel for the night. It was fun, though. Neither would change a thing about it. 

Tony checked them into the hotel, while he had Peter start thinking about dinner options. They may have stopped to get a bunch of food for Peter, but Tony only got something at lunch, and now that it’s nearing 7pm he’s getting hungry. 

Grabbing the key from the star-struck worker, Tony thanks her, motioning for Peter to follow. “Have you decided on where you want to eat?”

“I never thought I’d be saying this, but not fast food. I think I’ve had my fill of greasy foods to last me a lifetime.” Peter rubbed his stomach, which was surprisingly feeling a little hungry. The whole “fast metabolism” thing is really strange sometimes. 

“What if I said that I have been craving a greasy burger since you got that one in Pennsylvania? Would you change your mind?” Tony asked, really curious what the kid would say. Either way, Tony wouldn’t go against Peter’s request, but he just wants to see. 

Shrugging, Peter looks at Tony with a small smirk. “I would tell you that you should have gotten one in Pennsylvania because that was a freakishly good burger, but I would still stick to my no fast food rule.” 

Tony tried to hide his smile, happy that Peter wouldn’t change his mind just to please him. It honestly shows how far the kid has come. There was a time when Peter would vehemently decline Tony’s offer of buying anything non Spider-Man related. Now here he is, not only accepting, but also not afraid to voice his opinion. Tony couldn’t be more proud of the progress Peter’s made. 

Ugh! He sounds like such a dad. 

“Fine.” Tony huffs in mocked annoyance. “I guess we can choose something healthy.”

“Who said anything about healthy?” Peter asked, his nose scrunched up. “I only said no fast food. We could get ice cream for dinner and I wouldn’t complain.”

“Well, as much fun as it would be getting you hyped up on sugar before bed, I’m going to have to veto that option.” Tony nudged Peter’s arm with his elbow, grinning. “What do you think about Italian food?”

“So long as it’s not fast food, and it’s not healthy, I say it’s a win-win.” 

The conversation died when Tony opened the door to their hotel suit, swinging it wide for Peter to enter first. To Tony, the suit was a normal size, maybe even a bit on the small side. To Peter, however, it was huge! Who knew a hotel room could have more than one room? This one not only has two separate rooms, but two bathrooms as well. And a living room. AND a kitchen?

Peter walked around, taking in the space. His mouth hung open in awe, gasping when he noticed the balcony leading out from the living room. The view from their room on the top floor is stunning, especially as the sun is setting, casting hues of orange, pink, and purple across the sky. 

“Mr. Stark! Come look at this sunset!” Peter called over his shoulder, his eyes still focused on the view. Pulling out his phone, Peter snapped a quick picture, sending it to May. Then, as a second thought, to Pepper. She’d probably appreciate it as well, right? “Mr. Stark?”

When the man didn’t respond the second time, Peter walked back into the room to get Tony and bring him out. His stomach dropped when he saw his mentor sitting on the floor, his back pressed against the wall, and his knees pulled up to his chest. His eyes were closed as Tony rocked back and forth, struggling to breathe. 

“Mr. Stark!” Peter yelled, running to kneel beside the man. He’s experienced enough panic attacks to know what one looks like. “Mr. Stark, it’s Peter. You’re alright. I need you to take a deep breath for me. I know it’s hard, but you need to try. Come on, breathe with me.” 

Having a panic attack and talking someone through one are two very different experiences, but are equally as scary, and exhausting. It took a minute for Tony to match his breathing to Peter’s, the time feeling much longer than it was. Peter coaxed Tony through the panic attack, talking about their surroundings, and why they are there. Anything to bring Tony back to the present. 

As his mind refocuses, Tony starts to mentally kick himself. It was stupid and he doesn’t even know why it freaked him out. All Tony knows is one second, he’s fine, laughing at Peter’s excitement over a hotel, and the next, back in his cell in Afghanistan, praying to every entity known to man that the guard who just slammed the door open isn’t coming to kill him. It was the damn door that Tony let slam shut. Something about it triggering the memory. 

It’s bad enough Tony let something silly cause a flashback. He then had to have an anxiety attack on top of it, and all in front of the kid. Guilt rushes over him as he tunes back into Peter’s voice, still talking him back to reality. Slowly, Tony opens an eye glancing around the room to make sure nothing is out of place. 

Once his eyes sweep the room, they land on Peter, who looks scared, worried, and relieved, all at the same time. Tony sits up straighter, hoping he can brush off the last few minutes, and pretend it never happened. “Ah, sorry kid.” He says, wincing as his voice comes out shaky. “Thanks for, uh, helping.” 

Peter catches Tony when he stumbles while trying to stand. “Careful, Mr. Stark. Are you okay?” 

The urge to roll his eyes is strong, but Tony resists. Of course he’s not okay. He just had a fucking panic attack. He can’t really fault Peter for it, though. The kid’s just trying to help.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Tony answers, using the wall to steady himself instead of Peter. “So, did we officially decide to go with Italian? I’ll have FRIDAY pull up a list of the best authentic Italian places nearby.” 

“Mr. Stark.” Peter knows what the man is doing. He’s trying to deflect so he doesn’t have to talk about his emotions. It’s what Tony does. He can barely admit that he actually likes having Peter around without getting weird about it. Usually Peter is fine letting Tony change the subject, but not this time. “I think we should talk about it.” 

“Nope.” The kid’s just trying to help, Tony repeats to himself. It’s just, Peter’s version of helping is having a heartfelt conversation, and Tony hates those. Besides, Peter’s a kid. A child. He doesn’t need to hear all about Tony’s problems, then judge him like everyone else does, and eventually find a way to use his fears against him. It happened with Howard, Obadiah, Steve. That’s how it always happens. So no. Tony’s not going to “talk about it”. 

Walking into the small kitchen, Tony sits on one of the bar stools, looking through the list FRIDAY compiled of restaurants. “There’s a place here that serves cassata siciliana as desert. Mmmm, that actually sounds really good.” 

“Mr. Stark.” Peter tries again, trying to keep his exasperation out of his tone. 

“On second thought, I probably shouldn’t order something with a liquor-soaked sponge cake. Not while I’m on babysitting duty.” 

“Are you seriously going to use sarcasm to avoid talking about the panic attack you just had?”

“Yup.” 

To say the rest of the evening was tense would be an understatement. Tony - the emotionally stunted jerk that he is - learned quickly that Peter started to ask less questions about his feelings whenever Tony mocked him. He may or may not have gone a little too far, because now Peter won’t talk to him, and Tony is just a fucking asshole who can’t bring himself to apologize. 

They ended up having food delivered to their hotel, neither one wanting to go anywhere. Peter ate a few bites, then claimed he was too full. It was an obvious lie, but Tony isn’t going to call him out on it. He’s starting to feel really guilty about being a jackass. 

The silence from Peter was stifling. Tony’s used to the kid talking nonstop, never running out of things to say. He knows he needs to talk to Peter, to be the adult that he’s supposed to be. However, every time he opens his mouth to say something, nothing comes out. The next thing he knows, Peter’s saying good night, disappearing into his room. Tony promises himself he’ll talk to Peter first thing in the morning. 

Before Tony can say anything the next morning, Peter’s standing by the kitchen entrance, shuffling from foot to foot. “Mr. Stark?” He asks quietly, barely looking up to see if the man is paying attention. “I-I know we planned on me staying with you for two weeks, but I want you to know that you don’t have to keep me here if you don’t want to. I could probably take a bus back home, and you can go to your conference. Then I won’t be in your way anymore.” 

“What?” Tony asked, shocked by the suggestion. Had he really screwed up so bad that Peter doesn’t want to spend time with him anymore? “You aren’t in my way.” 

“But last night…” Peter hesitated, his eyebrows drawn in confusion. Had he imagined his mentor snapping at him every time he tried to talk? 

Sighing, Tony dragged a hand down his face. Yup. He fucked this up. “I’m sorry about last night. I still want you to stay with me, but only if that’s what you want. If you don’t want to do this anymore, we can turn back and head home.”

“No, I still want to.” Peter quickly reassured. “I just thought...nevermind.” 

Tony didn’t respond. How was he supposed to respond? The only ways he can think of explaining himself, all end in him talking about his panic attack, and he’s already established he’s not doing that. 

Instead, Tony turned back to the coffee he had been waiting for. 

The morning went by about as well as the previous night. Which is to say it was awkward, uncomfortable, and painfully quiet. When they got in the car, Peter slipped his headphones in, turning on his own music. The unspoken request to be left alone was clear to Tony. So he just focused on driving, only bothering Peter to ask if there were any sites he wanted to see. The kid shook his head no every time, saying “It’s okay, we don’t have to”. And if that didn’t drive Tony crazy, Peter’s lack of asking for or agreeing to anything would. 

“We’re coming up on a little town in the next ten minutes.” Tony tapped Peter’s knee, gaining the boy’s attention. “It’s the last town we’ll see for the next 50 miles. I was thinking we could stop to get some lunch there. What do you want to eat?”

“I’m not hungry.” Peter mumbled, moving to put his headphones back in. 

“Nope. Not an option.” Tony grabbed Peter’s arm to stop him. “We are stopping. You are eating something. End of discussion.” 

Peter rolled his eyes, tugging his arm out of Tony’s grip. He’s just trying to stay out of Tony’s way, so why won’t the man just leave him alone. Peter said he wasn’t hungry. What’s Tony gonna do? Force feed him? “Make me.” He said under his breath, annoyed. 

“Excuse me?” Tony asked, raising his eyebrows. Surely, Peter did not just tell Tony to ‘make him’. “What did you just say?”

“Nothing.” Peter finally put his headphones back in, turning to look out the window. If Tony can turn down Peter’s attempts to talk last night, then Peter can turn down his attempts to talk now. 

Tony grips the steering wheel tighter, trying hard not to lose his cool with the kid. Despite Peter’s protest, he pulled into the first fast food restaurant he saw. As soon as he parked, Tony turned to face Peter, his anger boiling over. “You’ve been in a mood all day, and I am tired of your attitude. What the hell is your problem?”

“My problem?” Peter shouted back, baffled by the man’s lack of self awareness. “I’m not the one with the problem. You’re the one who couldn’t stop throwing insults at me last night. If you didn’t want me to come on this trip, you could have just said so.”

“Would you stop bringing up last night!” Tony’s breaths were heavy as he stared at Peter, memories from his panic attack were flashing in his mind. Fuck, not again. “Damn it, kid.”

Pushing open his door, Tony nearly fell out as he tried to get out of the small space of the car. His heart is racing, pounding so hard it feels like it is going to jump out of his chest at any moment. A weight is sitting on his chest, making it hard to breathe. 

Tony stumbled away from the car - away from Peter; the kid does not need to see Tony having another panic attack. He ended up on the snowy sidewalk, using a light pole to keep himself from completely falling into the icy snow. 

“Mr. Stark!” He hears Peter calling to him, his voice sounding muffled and distant. Tony tries to tell the kid that he’s fine, and that he just needs a minute, but when he opens his mouth nothing comes out.

It takes a few tries, but Tony eventually takes in a deep breath, his lungs aching from the previous lack of oxygen. He’s given up on holding himself up, succumbing to the cold of the ground. Peter’s hand is holding onto his knee, squeezing it reassuringly as he reassures Tony that everything is alright. 

“I’m fine.” He eventually grits out through clenched teeth, embarrassment of being weak in front of his mentee taking place of the anxiety. “Just...go back to the car.”

“No.” Peter says defiantly, shaking his head. “You’re not fine. I’m not leaving you.”

“Peter…” He growls. 

“No. You can get mad all you want, Mr. Stark, but I’m not leaving.”

“I don’t want you here!” Tony yells, the quiet of the small town making his words seem louder. The second the words are out, he regrets them. Tony doesn’t mean them. Of course he wants Peter there, but he hates feeling vulnerable. It’s moments like these that people have used against him. 

Peter stiffens, withdrawing his hand from Tony’s knee. There’s a look of hurt on his face, and it’s obvious the kid is trying to blink back tears. But Peter doesn’t leave. He sits back, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well, that’s too bad for you then, because like I said, I am not leaving.”

Ugh, this kid. The sincerity in his words, the determined look in his eyes, the unwavering tone of his voice. It’s almost like Peter truly cares. 

Because he does. A voice in the back of his head tells him. 

But isn’t that part of the problem? Peter’s too young to know how much of a screw up Tony really is, which only makes it worse when he finally learns the truth. Tony can’t handle that. Not again. 

“Peter, please.” Tony hates how weak his voice sounds. 

“No, Mr. Stark.” Peter says, his voice thick with emotions. It’s only when Tony looks up does he see the tears that have welled in the kid’s eyes. “Do you know why? Because you always say that ‘we’re in this together’. Every time you’ve helped me through a panic attack or sensory overload, you say that. Just because the roles are switched, doesn’t make that any less true.” 

Tony opened his mouth to protest, but Peter cut him off. “And don’t you dare say that I shouldn’t have to help you because you’re the adult. Everyone needs help sometimes, and it doesn’t matter where that help comes from. Right now, your help just so happens to be a 15 year old from Queens.”

There’s no argument Tony could make that would persuade Peter otherwise. He’s known the kid long enough to know that there is no getting past his stubbornness. It doesn’t stop him from trying, though. “This is different.”

“How?” Peter counters without hesitation, almost like he expected Tony to say that. “How is this any different from you helping me after a panic attack?”

“I..I don’t know, it just is.”

“The only difference is that it’s you and not me. But I don’t care about that. And you shouldn’t either.”

“I’m an adult, Peter. I should be able to control it better.” Tony explains. He takes a brief moment to be grateful that no one is around to witness or record their interaction. His butt is starting to go numb from the cold though, so he should probably move soon. 

“Trauma doesn’t go away just because you reach a certain age, Mr. Stark.” Again, like Peter read his mind, the kid reaches a hand out to help Tony off the ground. “Look, I don’t know why you are so opposed to talking about it…”

“I’m not opposed to talking about it.” Tony defended, cringing as he felt the wetness that had seeped through the back of his pants. 

“Then is it me?” Peter asked, his voice soft. “Do you just not want to talk to me about it? I-I mean, that’s fine. If you don’t. I get it, I'm 15, what could I know about this stuff? I just think you should talk to someone, even if it’s not me.”

“Peter.” Tony stopped next to Peter, turning the boy’s shoulders until they were facing each other. He knows he needs to fix this. Peter deserves better, but right now Tony is all he’s got. “It’s not you. I just don’t like talking about this stuff.”

“Why?”

“I literally just said that I don’t like talking about it.” Tony rolled his eyes. 

“You make me talk about when I don’t want to.” This kid is really going to make him talk about it. Here. In the middle of a McDonald’s parking lot, in some rundown, practically abandoned, small town. 

Groaning, Tony thought he could maybe buy himself a little time before having to get emotional. “Can we at least eat while we talk?”

Peter hesitated for a moment, trying to decide if the man was being serious about talking about it. “I’m not using this to evade your questioning.” Tony said, knowing that’s what the kid was thinking. 

“Fine.” Peter conceded as he started walking toward the entrance of the restaurant. “But if you try to avoid talking about it, I’m telling Pepper and May.”

“Oh, come on.” Tony’s not even a little ashamed to admit that he definitely whined. “There’s no need to involve those two. You’ve been on the receiving end of both of their anger, so you know how scary they can be.”

Smirking, Peter just shrugged, laughing when Tony playfully swatted at him. 

The restaurant was just as empty as everything else in that town, only three employees working the whole store. Tony and Peter both decided to take their food to go, neither one wanting to be in a public place while they talked. For a few minutes they ate in silence, until Peter was the first to break the silence. “So... Are we gonna talk about it?”

Setting down his burger, Tony took a long sip of the terrible coffee he ordered to wash down his food. “What’s there to talk about? It happened, can’t we move on?”

It was a futile attempt, Tony knows that, but one can hope. “Well, let’s start with the last question. Why don’t you like to talk about it?”

“Well, why don’t you like to talk about it when you have a panic attack?”

“This isn’t about me.”

“I know.” Taking a few breaths, Tony decided to just be honest. This is Peter. He deserves the truth. “It makes me feel vulnerable, and I don’t like it. I’ve always had to be this confident, carefree person, and talking about this stuff makes me feel weak.”

That makes sense. Peter understands that. He feels the same way. “You know I don’t care about that. I’m not going to judge you or think less of you.”

“You can’t promise that.” Tony closes his eyes for a second, the warmth of Peter’s words making him feel even more guilty for being a jackass. 

“I can.” Peter says, no room for doubt in his tone. “Because you’re my family, Mr. Stark. It doesn’t matter what you have done or will do, family will never leave.”

“Steve left.”

“Captain America sucks, so it doesn’t count.” 

“Captain America doesn’t suck. Steve Rogers sucks.” Tony corrected. He may not like the man behind the mask, but his father helped to create the Captain America persona, and regardless of who’s carrying the shield, no one is going to taint the hero.

“Steve Rogers sucks.” Peter agreed. “But I’m not Steve Rogers. I’m Peter Parker: 15 year old genius superhero who somehow got lucky enough to have Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, as my mentor/father-figure.”

“Father-figure?” Tony asked, his eyes widening. He didn’t think Peter thought of him as a father, like Tony thinks of him as a son. 

Peter blushed, a hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck. He hadn’t meant for the father-figure part to slip out. It just kind of happened, but he’s not going to take it back now. “Well, yeah. You do a lot of things for me that I imagine dad’s do for their kids.”

“You know, when I call you kid it isn’t just because you’re a minor.” Tony admits, some of his doubts slipping away at Peter’s confession. “You’re my kid.”

“Then it’s settled, we’re family.” Peter smiled, excited to officially have a pseudo dad.


End file.
